SANAA, Nov. 2 — Fierce fighting erupted near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait on Monday as Yemen’s government forces launched a fresh push against Houthi positions overlooking the vital Red Sea shipping route, a government military source told Xinhua.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said units of the Southern Giants Brigades and other government forces began the advance early Monday, setting off intense clashes that were still raging hours later. At least nine government soldiers, including a field commander, were killed as the Houthis struck the advancing troops with missiles and drones, the source said.
He said the Houthis also suffered casualties in the fighting, without giving a figure. The Houthis, however, described the offensive as a series of “failed attempts” to advance toward Bab al-Mandab. Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, citing a military source within the group, said Houthi forces had repelled the attacks and inflicted “heavy losses” on the opposing forces.
The Houthi source said the attacking forces made repeated attempts to advance toward Bab al-Mandab despite mounting losses, claiming that a “large number” of soldiers were killed or wounded. Bab al-Mandab, a narrow strait linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is a major global maritime chokepoint and a vital shipping route between Asia and Europe.
The fighting marks the latest attempt by government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, to gain ground around Bab al-Mandab amid a sharp escalation in recent weeks, with intensifying ground battles and airstrikes inside Yemen accompanied by Houthi missile and drone attacks on government-held areas and targets inside Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
